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Famous US paparazzi. Born in Bronx in 1931, he trained as a ground and air photographer while serving in the military (1950-53). After release from active duty he returned to New York and became a freelance photographer, shooting candid pictures of famous people. His works were purchased by fan magazines, the National Enquirer, etc.
Actor. Born James Scott Baumgarner on April 7, 1928. He is particularly known for his role in the Rockford Files and Maverick, among other films and television series. He served in the National Guard for seven months and then joined the Regular Army for 14 months. He served with A Company of the 5th RCT in Korea, receiving the Purple Heart for injuries to his face and hand from shrapnel from a mortar round. He was wounded a second time (this time in the buttocks while diving into a foxhole to get away from friendly fire from US jets on April 23, 1951). According to the June/July 2013 issue of VFW Magazine, Garner "served as a rifleman with A Co., 5th RCT, 24th Inf. Div., and received two Purple Hearts. The first incident was only a couple of days after arriving in Korea when Garner was hit with enemy mortar shrapnel during a patrol. Garner also was involved in the First Spring Offensive in 1951. 'We were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of incoming fire as wave after wave of infantry slammed our position,' Garner wrote in his 2011 memoir The Garner Files. 'Without thinking, I shouldered my rifle and started ripping away. Before we knew it, we had only 30 men left out of 130, and we were surrounded.' After several hours of trading fire with the enemy, allied air support swooped in and dropped phosphorous bombs. Garner believed they were saved until the planes misidentified them as enemies and continued strafing. He leapt over a cliff with a South Korean soldier. While suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper leg, phosphorous burns and a dislocated shoulder, Garner eventually reached a group of Americans. He was transferred to Japan in August to recover and served nine months with a Postal unit there. Garner was discharged in June 1952, receiving a Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) and Purple Heart. 'I was not a hero,' Garner wrote. 'If there were any heroes, they were the guys who never came back from Korea, or the ones who were wounded, captured, or risked their lives to save their buddies.'" James Garner died July 19, 2014 in his home in Los Angeles, CA. He was survived by his wife, the former Lois Clarke; daughter Greta "Gigi"; and stepdaughter Kimberly.
Hollywood actor best known for his roles in the films Psycho and Spartacus/US ambassador. Born John Anthony Golenor in Los Angeles on April 8, 1931, this actor first served in the U.S. Navy for three years during the Korean War. He served as an intelligence officer aboard the aircraft carrier Princeton in the Korean War theater. He also served as Pan-American affairs officer in Panama to the Navy commandant, Adm. Milton E. Miles. He was president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1971 until 1973. Turning to politics, he served as President Ronald Reagan's ambassador to Mexico from 1981 until 1986. While acting he made guest appearances on television series such as "The Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island". Besides Psycho and Spartacus, he starred in Imitation of Life, A Breath of Scandal, and Thoroughly Modern Millie. He died in Beverly Hills, California of pneumonia at age 86 on February 09, 2018.
Character actor. Born November 25, 1934 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Geas appeared in such television shows as Perry Mason, Flying Nun, Wild Wild West, Mission Impossible, Mannix, Ironside, etc. Geas died April 8, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. He served in the US Army during the Korean War.
Metallurgical engineer and entrepreneur. Jack T. Gentry, 82, died at his home in Springfield, Missouri, Saturday, September 23, 2006. He was born in Kansas City, Kansas, December 6, 1923, son of Rose (Adlesh) Gentry and Dewey Gentry, who preceded him in death. Jack graduated from Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kansas. He entered junior college, and the day after his 18th birthday, Pearl Harbor was bombed. He knew immediately that plans for his future would change. Jack enlisted in the Navy in June 1942 and served as a Naval Aviator with the U.S. Marine Corps in the South Pacific. He was released from active duty in January 1945 as a 1st Lieutenant. Upon release from the military, Jack enrolled in the Forestry School at the University of Montana. While there, he met Ann Kern, who was completing her last semester. They married in July 1946 and Jack transferred to the Montana School of Mines in Butte, Montana, where he graduated in 1950 with a degree in Metallurgical Engineering. After 18 months, Jack was recalled to the Korean War. He was stationed at Kaneohe Marine Base, Oahu, Hawaii, where he served as adjutant and a personnel officer. While there he was promoted to Captain. Returning to civilian life, Jack accepted a job with Minneapolis Honeywell in Phoenix, Arizona, and later joined Litton Industries in Van Nuys, California. Within three years, Jack was promoted to General Manager and Executive Vice President, with responsibility over United States Engineering Company, Winchester Electronics and the Advanced Circuitry Division, all units of Litton Industries. In 1964, he brought the Advanced Circuitry Division to Springfield. Two years later, Jack embarked on his lifelong dream when he retired from Litton Industries and started his own company, Positronic Industries. Today, Positronic Industries, with more than 1,000 employees in nine manufacturing locations worldwide, is known for its high quality, high performance electronic connectors used by the world's premier avionics, defense, computer and telecommunications equipment manufacturers. Jack believed he should give back to the community. He was appointed by President Reagan as a member of the Industry Sector Advisory Committee V, which establishes policy for imports and exports for electronic components. He served as Secretary of the International ElectroTechnical Commission, IEC. This international organization develops worldwide standards for electronic equipment. He was a United States Technical Advisor for committees serving the Electromechanical Group for the IEC. He served as Chairman of the Rectangular Connector Committee for the Electronic Industries Association. He was a member of the National Association of Manufacturers Presidents. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of Drury University, a member of the Board of Directors of UMB Bank Financial Corporation, a member of the Board of Directors of Springfield City Utilities and founder and President of the Southwest Area Manufacturers Association, SAMA. He was proud of his involvement with SAMA, which gives small manufacturers in Southwest Missouri a stronger voice in their community. After 13 years, SAMA membership has grown to more than 150 member companies representing the voices of over 13,000 employees. He is survived by his wife, Ann Kern Gentry. His children are Dr. Kathleen Gentry, Crested Butte, Colo.; Suzan Gentry Sullivan, Springfield, Mo.; Jill Gentry Owen, Houston, Texas; John Gentry, Springfield, Mo.; and Bill Gentry, Singapore. His grandchildren are Scott Landrum, Lee Owen, Andi Owen, Jenna Owen, Chase Owen, John Gentry, Jr., Ben Gentry, Amy Gentry, Nick Gentry, Alex Gentry, and one great-grandson, Devon Landrum. Other survivors are his sister, Darlene Gentry Borris, Fullerton, Calif.; his niece, Cheryl Borris Morenc, Fullerton, Calif.; his nephew, The Honorable Thomas Borris, Huntington Beach, Calif.; and surviving cousins. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, September 28, 2006, at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home, 1947 E. Seminole. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, September 29, at Kings Way United Methodist Church, 2401 S. Lone Pine, with Rev. Charles Buck officiating. A reception will follow at the church. A military service will be held at 2 p.m. at Missouri Veterans Cemetery, 5201 Southwood Road. Jack had heartfelt feelings for his many business associates and Positronic Industries employees who offered him their friendship and trust. His family hopes he touched their lives as they certainly touched his. His family would also like to thank Community Hospice and Access Home Health for their professional services. Memorial contributions may be made to 'A World of Difference,' a charity directed by Dr. Kathleen Gentry, providing literacy and development programs to impoverished Cambodian women as well as dental care to Cambodian orphans; c/o UMB Bank, 1150 E. Battlefield Rd., Springfield, MO 65807, or to Community Hospice, 1465 E. Primrose, Suite A, Springfield, MO 65804, or to a charity of your choice.
Actor with a starring role in the Rat Patrol television series 1966-68. Born February 25, 1931, died November 28, 1983. George enlisted in the Marine Corps on October 13, 1948, at age 17. He lied about his age on his recruitment form by giving his year of birth as 1929, which then stuck with him for most of his adult life. George attributed his enlistment to being inspired by John Wayne, saying, "You know, he caused the enlistment of hundreds of kids in the Marines and I was one of them." George attended boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina and graduated with a meritorious promotion to Private First Class on December 31, 1948. Christopher George's first duty station was Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station Quantico, Virginia. In April 1950, he transferred to Aircraft Engineering Squadron 12 (AES-12), also located at Quantico. AES-12 maintained the aircraft for school pilots and also used them as a demonstration squadron for members of the United States Congress, demonstrating new rockets and bombs.[ While assigned to AES-12, George rose to the rank of sergeant. He had forced landings in airplanes while he was in the Marines, and while Christopher George was stationed at Quantico, was very sick, lying in the hospital with "a 110-degree fever." While stationed at Quantico, Christopher George was a passenger in an aircraft flown by one of AES-12's officers. The weather was clear and sunny that day when both of the engines "conked out" at approximately 8,000 feet (2,400 m) above the Carolinas. Both pilots worked to get the engines restarted, dipping to an altitude of about 1,000 feet (300 m) before they succeeded. Another time, an aircraft caught fire; he had to bail out, in the first parachute jump of his life. During the Korean War, Christopher George skippered a Marine Corps crash boat, and served as gunner aboard the type of rescue aircraft used to fly wounded out of Korea. George completed a three-year enlistment with the Marines and stayed for an additional fourth year of service before asking for an honorable discharge and returning home to Miami. He left active service on August 29, 1952. After that, as a sergeant in the Marine Corps Reserves, he joined Marine Fighter Squadron 142 (VMF-142) of the Marine Air Reserve Training Command, Marine Corps Air Station Miami, Florida. He also served in the 4th Supply Company, in Stockton, California. Finally, he reverted to inactive reserve status where he was assigned to Headquarters, 6th MCR&RD, Atlanta, Georgia, until completing his enlisted service and receiving a discharge on September 3, 1956.
Astronaut (first to orbit the earth in 1962). Born July 18, 1921 in Cambridge, Ohio, Glenn enlisted as a U.S. Navy aviation cadet in March 1942. he was reassigned to the Marine Corps in 1943 and became a fighter pilot. He flew 59 combat missions in the South Pacific. During the Korean War he flew 63 combat missions in an F9F Panther jet, flying some of that time with Ted Williams of Red Sox baseball fame, who was Glenn's wingman. During his second Korean combat tour he flew 27 missions in an F086F Sabre jet, shooting down three MiG -5s in the closing weeks of the Korean War. He was a test pilot from 1954 to 1959. He received a Distinguished Flying Cross in July 1957. He retired as a Marine Corps Colonel in 1965. After the Marine Corps he became an executive with Royal Crown Cola and a U.S. Senator (D) from Ohio for four terms starting in 1974. He died of cancer in December 2016.
Minor League ballplayer. [Source: Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice.com]. Leonard G. "Len" Glica was born in Omaha, Nebraska on October 8, 1928. He played baseball at South High School in Omaha and signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers organization following graduation in 1947. The right-handed hitting shortstop-second baseman was assigned to the Abilene Blue Sox of the Class C West Texas-New Mexico League where he batted .252 his rookie year with eight home runs. In September, after the regular season had finished and he was back home in Omaha, Glica was recruited to play for the Omaha Pros against the Satchel Paige All-Stars at American legion Field in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Pros beat Paige's All-Stars, 4-3, in 12 innings. Glica, playing second base, was 1-for-5 against Paige and Larry Napoleon. Back with the Blue Sox in 1948, Glica spent spring training at Vero Beach, Florida, under the watchful eyes of such Brooklyn tutors as Fresco Thompson, Andy High, George Sisler and Pepper Martin. He batted .259 with 81 RBIs during the season and proved to be a fan favourite for his all-out style of play. Glica was advanced to the Newport News Dodgers of the Class B Piedmont League in 1949. After playing 10 games and batting .258, he joined the Lancaster Red Roses of the Class B Interstate League, batting .261 in 126 games with six home runs. He remained with the Red Roses in 1950 and batted .253 with a career-high 10 home runs. On July 9 he had led Lancaster's hit parade against the Hagerstown Braves with successive home runs in the third and fifth innings and a double in the sixth for his three for five, as the Red Roses walloped the Braves, 17-3. "If I can't make the majors or high minors I would like to play out my string in pro baseball with Abilene," he confided to his friends in Omaha. "They play good ball down there and treat the players like heroes." But Glica never had the opportunity to return to Abilene. He entered military service on November 30, 1950. Serving as a private with the 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division in Korea, he was killed in action on May 26, 1951 at Sanghongjong-ni, just four days after arriving in the war zone. "Of the players whom I had the pleasure of associating with during my three years with the Abilene club," Howard L. Green, former GM of the Blue Sox told the Abilene Reporter News after hearing of Glica's death, "Len Glica and Joe Konitzki stand out as all-time favorites, not because of their playing talents altogether, but because of their character and devotion to the game of baseball. Both of them joined us during the 1947 season when the club was hopelessly out of the race but they hustled every inning as if a World Series were at stake. It was spirit like that which enabled us to average 1,200 [spectators per game] during the last three weeks of the season with nothing more to lure the customers than the promise of a ball game. "Many of us thought they were headed for the majors. Joe may make it yet. He is now on the NDS list of the Minneapolis club in the American Association, having been drafted from the Dodger organization by the Giants [Konitzki peaked with 7 games for Minneapolis in 1950]. "If Len Glica isn't the first professional ball player killed in the Korean fighting, he is one of the first [he was, in fact, the second]. I think that the least that the Abilene club and their legion of wonderful supporters could do would be to set aside a night to the memory of Len Glica and to erect a memorial in the Abilene park in tribute to one of the finest competitors that ever represented Abilene in any sport. His life has ended far ahead of schedule, not through any fault of his, but the game of baseball will go on because of fellows like him who are called upon to fight so that we at home may continue to play." Len Glica is buried at Saint Johns Cemetery in Bellevue, Nebraska. Sources: Council Bluffs Iowa Nonpareil Sept 21, 1947; Council Bluffs Iowa Nonpareil Sept 27, 1947; Lubbock Morning Avalanche April 20, 1948; Hagerstown Evening Journal July 5, 1948; Abilene Reporter News Sept 12, 1948; Hagerstown Daily Mail July 10, 1950; Abilene Reporter News July 17, 1951; Abilene Reporter News July 27, 1951; http://www.25thida.org/21stinf.html.
The founder of Motown record label, Berry Gordy was drafted into the US Army in 1951, ordered to report to Ft. Custer (Michigan), and served overseas during the Korean War. He received his GED while in the Army. He was discharged in 1954. Prior to being drafted he was a featherweight boxing champion from 1948 to 1950. He was born November 28, 1929, and grew up in Detroit, Michigan. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Motown Records promoted such hit singers as Diana Ross and the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, the Jackson Five, and many more.
Bonneville Salt Flats race car driver. Born July 6, 1930 in Norwalk, California, Warren Gorton built race engines in the late 1940s and 50s and drove race cars attempting to break land speed records with Mickey Thompson. He served in the U.S. Naval Air Reserves during the Korean War. He died January 25, 2014 in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
The 1939-40 Chief Illiniwek at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, Colonel Grable was a crew member of a B-29A Superfortress Bomber ("Tail Wind/Burke's Jerks/Sweet Judy II" #45-21721) with the 345th Bomber Squadron, 98th Bomber Wing. On February 7, 1952, while departing on a combat mission, his aircraft crashed during snow three miles northwest of Yokota Air Base, Japan, and he was killed. Colonel Grable was born October 25, 1918, son of John and Sylvia Hill Grable. He was survived by his wife Helene and two daughters. He is buried in Rhine Cemetery, Tison, Illinois.
Rock concert promoter and actor from the 1960s until his death in a helicopter crash in 1991, Bill Graham was born on January 8, 1931 in Berlin. His birth name was Wulf Wolodia Grajonca. During the Nazi regime, his family fled Germany. Wulf was separated from his parents, and as a Jewish orphan was ne of the "One Thousand Children" (OTC) to escape the Nazi Holocaust. He was sent to a foster home in the Bronx and changed his name to Bill Graham. He was drafted into the Army in 1951 and served as a Forward Observer with the 7th Infantry Division in Korea. He received a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. After his military service he became a concert promoter of such greats as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, Doobie Brothers, and many more.
Continental Airlines' first black pilot. Born June 6, 1929 in El Dorado, Arkansas, Marlon Green joined the Air Force during the Korean War and flew 3,071 hours in multi-engine aircraft. His last posting was flying SA-16 Albatross with the 26th Air Rescue Squadron at Johnson Air Base in Tokyo. After leaving the Air Force in 1957, he tried to become a commercial pilot. The color of his skin was the factor in constantly being denied the job. What followed was a six-year legal battle against discrimination. In 1963, he won a U.S. Supreme Court case ("Colorado Anti-Discrimination Commission versus Continental Airlines") that opened opportunities for black commercial pilots. (The first black pilot for a major US airliner was David Harris, who flew for American Airlines beginning in 1964.) Marlon Green flew for Continental Airlines from 1965-1978. He became a captain in 1966. Green died July 06, 2009 in Denver, Colorado.
Founding publisher of the National Catholic Reporter. Green graduated from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana prior to being drafted into the U.S. Army in January 1951. He was assigned to be a reporter for Stars & Stripes, covering stories about the 7th Infantry Division. He was discharged in October 1952 and had a civilian journalism career. He died December 30, 2012.
Governor of New Hampshire 1953-55. He was born in Nashua on November 22, 1917. Gregg graduated from Yale University in 1939 and Harvard Law School in 1942. He served as a special agent with the U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps in World War II (1942-46). After discharge from the Army he was elected mayor of Nashua. While still serving as mayor he was recalled to the U.S. Army (counter intelligence) for the Korean War (November 1950 to April 1952). He was also a counter intelligence instructor at Fort Holabird, Maryland. He died September 24, 2003.
Mississippi State Orange Bowl football champ 1941. Served in USMC in World War II. Also served in Korea. His plane was shot down in Korea in August 1952 while he served with VMA121 in Korea. He received a Purple Heart and a Distinguished Flying Cross. After Korea he served in the Florida House of Representatives in the mid-1960s. His obituary appears on the Death Notices - G page of the Korean War Educator.
American novelist. W.E.B. Griffin was born November 10, 1929. He joined the U.S. Army in 1946 and had an MOS of counter-intelligence. He served in the Constabulary in Germany at that time. He was attending Philipps-Universitat Marburg when he was recalled to military service during the Korean War. He became an official Army war correspondent and then a public information officer for U.S. X Corps. He received a Combat Infantryman's Badge for service on the front line. After the Korean War he worked as Chief of the Publications Division of the U.S. Army Signal Aviation Test and Support Activity at Ft. Rucker, Alabama. He became a successful novelist, writing over 38 novels under his own name and publishing under 13 different pseudonyms. He authored several of the MASH sequel novels and numerous military-related novels."
Mr. Griffin grew up in the suburbs of New York City and Philadelphia. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1946. After basic training, he received counterintelligence training at Fort Holabird, Maryland. He was assigned to the Army of Occupation in Germany, and ultimately to the staff of then-Major General I.D. White, commander of the U.S. Constabulary.
In 1951, Mr. Griffin was recalled to active duty for the Korean War, interrupting his education at Phillips University, Marburg an der Lahn, Germany. In Korea he earned the Combat Infantry Badge as a combat correspondent and later served as acting X Corps (Group) information officer under Lieutenant General White. On his release from active duty in 1953, Mr. Griffin was appointed Chief of the Publications Division of the U.S. Army Signal Aviation Test & Support Activity at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Mr. Griffin is a member of the Special Operations Association, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Army Aviation Association, the Armor Association, and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Society. He was the 1991 recipient of the Brigadier General Robert L. Dening Memorial Distinguished Service Award of the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, and the August 1999 recipient of the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award, presented at the 100th National Convention in Kansas City.
He has been vested into the Order of St. George of the U.S. Armor Association, and the Order of St. Andrew of the U.S. Army Aviation Association, and been awarded Honorary Doctoral degrees by Norwich University, the nation's first and oldest private military college, and by Troy State University (Ala.). He was the graduation dinner speaker for the class of 1988 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He has been awarded honorary membership in the Special Forces Association, the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, the Marine Raiders Association, and the U.S. Army Otter & Caribou Association. In January 2003, he was made a life member of the Police Chiefs Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, and the State of Delaware.
He is the co-founder, with historian Colonel Carlo D'Este, of the William E. Colby Seminar on Intelligence, Military, and Diplomatic Affairs." - [Source: W.E.G. Griffin Official Website]
Born October 23, 1933 in Baltimore, Maryland, Peter Griffith was an American advertising executive and former child actor on Broadway. He was the father of actresses Melanie Griffith and Tracy Griffith. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Peter Griffith died May 14, 2001 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Born in 1932, he is an American painter who works in the Impressionist style. Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, Groat completed a Masters in Fine Arts in 1962 at Syracuse University and has been a professional painter for over forty years. In his early years as an artist, he was both a friend and pupil of artist Norman Rockwell. Notable collectors of his work include Henry Kissinger and former President Jimmy Carter. In 1973, Hall was commissioned to produce a series of ten paintings for the United Nations which were featured on a series of stamps and the original paintings now hang in the United Nations Philatelic Museum in Switzerland. Groat wrote a short autobiography in 2011- ‘They Called me the Brush-Slinger' and his son Hall Jr is also a professional artist. Groat was drafted into the US Army on his 20th birthday in 1952. After training, he was shipped to Korea and he arrived there in 1953, his unit manning trenches on the front-line for the final weeks of hostilities. On the first day at the front, Groat witnessed one of his friends killed by a mortar shell. He later commented, ‘Visually, Korea inspired me. The mountains in Korea are nothing like the mountains in the US.' After the ceasefire, Groat's unit served in the peacetime occupation force and his CO ordered him to paint white stripes on their helmets, paint sign-posts and also complete a mural for the company mess-hall. Groat's problem was finding paint as when he was given a pass to go to Seoul to buy painting supplies, he could only find one store that sold paint and it only stocked three colors.
Major league baseball shortstop. Born November 4, 1930 in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, Dick Morrow was a standout in two sports--baseball and basketball. He played in the NBA prior to being drafted into the Army. (He was a two time All American at Duke University in basketball.) He played with the Ft. Wayne Pistons 1952-53, Pittsburg Pirates (1952-62), St. Louis Cardinals (1i963-65), Philadelphia Phillies (1966-67) and San Francisco Giants (1967). He entered the US Army to begin a two-year stint in February 1953, missing two seasons of baseball with the Pirates. He was stationed stateside at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia with the Army Engineers. He played on the base baseball and basketball teams, leading both of them to worldwide Army championships. He also tried out and made the base football team as punter and place-kicker but chose not to play defensive back for fear of injury. After discharge he concentrated on baseball. He was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007 and was later inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame.
Racecar legend, racecar designer, team owner. Born April 13, 1931, Port Jefferson, Long Island, Gurney graduated from Menlo Junior College in Atherton, California. He served two years in the Army--mostly in the Korean War--as an artillery mechanic. In 1965 Gurney and the driver/designer Carroll Shelby founded "All American Racers." Gurney was the first of three drivers to have won races in Sports Cars (1958), Formula One (1962), NASCAR (1963), and Indy (1967). He died January 14, 2018, Newport Beach, california.